Networking: Adding Value in a Joined Up World

Abstract

Individual dot.coms may have come and gone, but their legacy of crumbling boundaries between industries and organisations is still with us. One client I spoke to summed it up: ‘ten years ago, if we’d spotted a new business opportunity — launching a new product, entering a new market — the chances are that it would be something we’d pursue independently. Today, we’d almost immediately be looking for partners. Why go through the effort (and time) or establishing your brand in a new market, if you can piggy-back off someone else’s? Why spend money (and time) developing a new proprietary product, when someone else may have the technology you need albeit applied in a different context?’